


More Than A Dream

by littlemisswriter123



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV), The Originals (TV)
Genre: Bloodlust, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Heroes to Villains, Inspired by Once Upon a Time (TV), Inspired by The Originals (TV), Inspired by The Vampire Diaries, Memory Loss, New Orleans, Prophecy, Sexy, Storybrooke (Once Upon a Time), The Jolly Roger | The Jewel of the Realm (Once Upon a Time), True Love, Vampires, Villains to Heroes, Werewolves, Witches
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-24
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:27:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22383316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemisswriter123/pseuds/littlemisswriter123
Summary: Hope Mikaelson has lost her memory. She is oblivious to the capabilities she possesses and now must relearn her strengths and weaknesses. With the help of a Prince and  Princess, a Savior, and a dashing Pirate whose ego is larger than the ship he captains, she will embark upon the adventure of a lifetime. The enemies she will face along the way are nothing compared to her true task. Finding herself.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson & Killian Jones
Kudos: 6





	1. A Change in the Current

A miniature sail-boat rolled lazily over the smooth, continuous waves of the open ocean water. Hope was just outside the New Orleans harbor with a crisp Corona under a golden sky. Looking up, she observed the billowing white sails. They seemed so free. If not tethered they would surely fly away in a gust to venture the vast ocean. Oh, what a life that would be.

It wasn't to say she wasn't free - she didn't sleep behind barred windows - but Hope very rarely left New Orleans, and when she did she was always accompanied by another member of her family. That wasn't freedom, that was parole with benefits.

Returning to her reality she was suddenly aware that the atmosphere had changed. The seagulls that had been circling overhead were nowhere to be seen and the fair sky had slowly begun to shift into the start of a rather nasty looking storm. Odd, the forecast hadn't called for anything this evening. That's what she deserved for daydreaming.

Quickly, she stood where she'd been relaxing under the sun and pushed the boom out to either side, forcing the window to blow against the back of the sail. The boat began to rotate across the water, turning away from the brewing storm ahead. After backing the sail, she pulled the mainsheet to tighten the mainsail and began sailing back toward the shore. She moved the tiller, rotating the rudder so that she was in a proper direction to let the wind carry her to the docks.

Nature had other plans.

It was as if the thing manifested from nothing. The storm was straight up above Hope now, and it was far worse than she could have anticipated. A jagged streak of light filled the sky with a flash of heat, followed by a soft red glow.

Hope gazed at it in awe, sensing the danger at hand, but she didn't look away. She couldn't.

The lightning crashed down against the water. Striking just to the left side of her boat, sending a wave of energy over the water. Hope watched with wide-eyed disbelief as fish began to surface, floating away only with the help of the changing current.

Another strike.

_Another._

The lightning was an unstoppable force containing Hope in a circle, of which she had no escape.

Then came the final strike. It hit the tip of her sail, forcing the boat to catch ablaze. To stay on the boat meant to possibly burn to death, to plunge into the ocean meant near-certain electrocution.

Hope didn't have the chance to decide.

Another strike came as sudden as the last and sent her overboard just as a crushing wave devoured her sail. The shock of the electricity charged water sent a volt through her. Hope's body jerked and everything went blank.

It only lasted for a moment, but a moment was all it needed.

The near black water forced her to twist and turn like an acrobat, harshly bending her at every diagonal. It seemed to continue as if she had already entered a never-ending Hell.

The weight of water on her chest held so much pressure she almost wished she had already died. At least then she could be resting and not afraid to let her breath go. But she didn't let go. She fought with every last fragment she had to find the direction of the surface.

Hope prevailed.

When she broke the surface, she slicked her hair back and away from her eyes, gasping in desperation for air. Panting heavily, her eyes zigged and zagged, taking in her surroundings.

 _Where's was she? Where had she been?_ An assault of impossible questions pelted her brain. Her mind held no information, her memories were...nonexistent. Hope couldn't remember how she'd gotten out on the water. She couldn't remember if she had been heading somewhere. The only thing she could remember was her name. Well, her first name. Her last name was lost with the sea it seemed.

She began to tremble, but not from the cold.

In every direction, there was...nothing. It was only open water and a growing sense of dread.

With furrowed brows, she continued a three-sixty in her place in the water. She would have no idea in what direction she should begin swimming, she could choose a way that leads her only further out to sea. But just floating here was like a sitting duck to any hungry predators.

Hope could feel the emotion begin to well inside of her, her heart began to hammer against her ribcage as tears gathered in her salt-crusted eyes. But just as she was beginning to hyperventilate, something in the distance caught her eye.

It was barely anything, just a dot, but she could tell it was slowly becoming larger. Whatever it was, coming straight in her direction. Even if it was simply a cruel trick the ocean was playing on her feverish mind she couldn't take the chance that it might be someone who could help.

Grasping onto her thin strips of faith, she began to swim in the general direction of the dot. If faith was the only thing she had, then she wasn't going to let go.

It seemed to take ages, but soon Hope could see what the dot was, and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it now. What seemed like a saving grace was suddenly intimidating.

It was a ship. Not just any ship, not like a cruise liner, but like some ship she'd have read about in a history book. It was similar to that of a...pirate ship. It had great sails, a massive length of aged wood, and, most importantly, a black flag with a painted white skull and bones flapping in the wind. It was as if the ship had traveled through time...or had she? _That's insanity,_ she thought to herself as the ship moved closer.

Hope let herself tread water, resting her aching limbs for a moment. Somehow she knew she shouldn't, that she needed to keep her body moving. But oh, it sounded so nice to just let her body float for a moment. Her mind was beginning to grow foggy and she barely heard a voice above the rush in her own ears.

"Captain!" the voice called. "Man overboard! Or...well, I suppose woman overboard. A mermaid perhaps? In these waters?"

Hope didn't hear another voice in response. Her body was finally giving in to the ache and desire for rest. Her eyes closing in surrender.

She was aware, but hardly, of being pulled in by something. A net? Not but a few moments later she realized she was being hauled onto the ship and she quickly forced her eyes to open, despite the sting of the seawater.

With a thud, she landed on the deck of the ship. Her eyes taking in the near-perfect blue canvas of sky above before the sight was replaced by a pair of eyes. Eyes just as blue, if not more so. She blinked, silently staring at the man who must have saved her.

"Hello, lass. A long way from home aren't we?"

One of his dark brows tilted, accompanied by a similar shift in his lips. A smirk that was so smug it made her angry.

Hope managed to glare at him before she finally succumbed to her body's demands. That smirk etched into her mind like a bad tattoo.

It made for a not so peaceful slumber.


	2. Starlight Navigation

The combination of warmth and a gently rocking ship helped Hope stay asleep for a very long time. In fact, the sun had set and risen again before she started to stir. Her body was slowly waking, making her more aware, but she had yet to open her eyes. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

Gradually her senses tuned into her surroundings. She knew she was on a ship, one that looked like it belonged to a pirate. Something out of a storybook. She knew she was on the ocean, she could hear the water lapping against the surface of the boat outside. Hope knew she had been saved by a man with a smug smirk.

She also knew she remembered nothing prior to swimming toward the dot on the horizon. To remember nothing at all frightened her more than the idea that she very well might be in the company of pirates.

Her thoughts silenced as she heard a voice. Hope opened her eyes to slits, peering around the little cabin. Observing the structure for a moment, mostly focusing on the desk near the center littered in maps and different devices she knew to be navigation-related.

"Captain!" The voice spoke again.

Hope quickly shut her eyes again, terrified to be seen awake.

"Mr. Smee," a voice revolted, clear anger tinged his tone. "I am not interested in your opinion, nor have I asked for it. I am the Captain, I give the orders, and you follow them! Is that understood?"

Silence rang for a short moment.

"Yes, Captain, of course. I merely express mine and the crew's concerns. Awful luck having a woman aboard..."

The Captain's voice, now laced in heavy sarcasm, sighed heavily, "I've not the time for such ridiculous fear of superstition. Now get back to work," he demanded harshly, "Soon we'll be on course and I don't intend to be slowed down. The sooner that girl is off my ship, the better."

Hope heard nothing more than footsteps walking away from the cabin door. She let out a soft sigh of relief and opened her eyes.

Then, as she debated getting up to reach for one of the sharp instruments on the desk, the cabin door swung open and the Captain caught Hope with her eyes open.

The man was tall, which she hadn't made a note of before. He had dark hair that reached down his matching sideburns and scruff that coated his jaw thinly, thickening around his lips. The lips that held that smug smirk he currently wore.

She hated it.

Although, the smirk was quickly forgotten as Hope's eyes addressed the rest of him. He was dressed like a pirate, with leather and brass fasteners, but her eyes paused when she caught a glimpse of something unusual.

In place of his left hand, there was no hand at all. Rather, he had a silver glinting hook instead. It was a threatening shape, one that could easily cause severe damage to a person on the receiving end of it. The sight of it sent chilled claws down Hope's spine.

"Oh, this?" the Captain asked, holding up the hook in front of his face and smirked at her through the open curve. "No need to worry about this, love," he said with a devious smirk and raised a brow, "It's more of a fashion statement than a weapon. Though, it can be used as such if someone decides they're worthy enough to confront the Captain of the Jolly Roger."

Hope's brows immediately furrowed.

A pirate with a hook for a hand captaining a ship named the Jolly Roger? As in Captain Hook from Peter Pan?

Either she was insane or he was.

"Is this real?" she asked.

It was the first thing to pop into her head and the first words that came out of her mouth. Surely this was some elaborate hoax. There would likely be hidden cameras in this worn old cabin.

The Captain chuckled. "I assure you. Everything you see in front of you is very much real. However, I won't be taking the time to convince you. A worthless effort on my part. Believe or not believe, it makes no difference to me. I'm merely shipping you as cargo back to where you come from and that will be the end of it."

He ran the tip of his finger over the tip of his Hook as he spoke. An intimidation tactic, she assumed.

"Contrary to popular belief, I am not some barbarian who would condemn someone innocent to the sea," he smirked crookedly, those sea-blue eyes of his carrying mischief like a misbehaving current, "Especially a lass as pretty as yourself."

Hope felt something inside of her stir. Fear? No, uncertainty perhaps, but not fear.

The Captain continued, "So, where is it I should, you know, drop you off?" He waved his ring-littered hand as if already waving her off his ship. "You can swim, clearly, which is good because I don't intend to port."

Shaking her head she sat up, slow and cautious. Afraid that any moment she would feel sick from the seawater she swallowed yesterday.

"I don't know." She responded dryly, noticing her throat was sore and felt raw. "I-I don't remember anything..."

His expression shifted, the smug smirk was gone. He wasn't concerned, she could see that, but he was serious now. Apparently her problem wasn't as easy as he had anticipated.

"You remember nothing at all?"

Slowly she shook her head and pressed a hand to her forehead, a headache forming between her eyes. "I remember being in the ocean and swam toward...this ship. Everything before that is just blank," she glanced up, "I know my name is Hope."

"That's it?" he asked, which she responded to with a nod.

Although she had no memory, she knew there had to be a reason she was out on the open ocean. She saw no sign of anybody who might have left or lost her there. Just herself and the sea. If only the ocean could speak.

"That's it." Hope repeated softly to herself.

The Captain let out a sigh.

To her, it sounded as a sound of impatient irritation and Hope immediately bristled. The familiar venom of indignation coated her tongue.

"I'm so sorry for my lack of knowledge about my own life has hindered your plans. It must be so difficult and life-changing to have a detour in your..." she hesitated finding the right word, her own upset clouding her thoughts, but then practically spat the word,"... _pirating_."

The cabin was silent for a moment as his posture shifted and that smirk of his reappeared.

"You may call me Captain Jones, or Hook if you prefer," he rubbed his jaw, "Are you hungry?"

The question seemed so out of place that she just stared at him.

"Well?" he asked, raising a brow.

Hope blinked, not finding the words to speak, but nodded in response. She was hungry, and she could feel it like an ache in her stomach. Even her gums throbbed as if she needed to bite into something to relieve the sensation.

Here she had been, nearly yelling at the man, and he offers her something to eat.

"Aren't pirates supposed to be, I don't know, selfish a**holes?"

Hook smirked, "Get to know me well enough, love, and I'm sure I'll live up to your expectations," he continued, "There's a dry dress in the cabinet if you choose to change. I'll bring a meal to you, but I do ask you to stay in these quarters. My men are...spooked by you."

Hope looked down at herself. She wore a simple gray t-shirt and light pink linen pants. She had no shoes or socks, though, and the clothing she did have was crusted with sea salt. Despite this fact, a dress somehow seemed less inviting. She had a hunch dresses weren't apart of her usual attire.

"Thank you..." Hope murmured under her breath. Even if she wasn't thankful for the situation, she could thank him for his surprising hospitality.

With a nod, Hook turned to leave, but she spoke once more.

"If I don't know who I am, or where I'm from," she paused, "Where will I go?" As great as a life gallivanting with Captain Hook on the Jolly Roger seemed - she may as well go along with the insanity until proven otherwise - certainly that wasn't the life she was meant to have.

"Hm," he began. She watched him scratch his chin with his hook. "I suppose I can't just leave you to some random street?" He eyed her as if hoping she would disagree with his assumption. When she didn't, he nodded, "Right. Then, I'll bring you to the only place I know of in your world."

Frowning, Hope nodded slowly. "Which is where?"

"Storybrooke, Maine. I'm sure someone there will put it upon themselves to help a lost girl such as yourself," he answered, that sly smirk creeping along his lips again before he left the cabin. Leaving her to herself.

Hope chose to keep her own clothing on. After all, it was all she had left of the life she didn't remember. But Hook surprised her by bringing in a small basin of water to clean herself up a bit. It wasn't warm, but it was clean, which was all she could ask for.

She rinsed the salt out of her shirt to the best of her ability but left her pants alone. She could ignore the salt in those for the time being. Hope even managed to find a hairbrush in the cabinet he had mentioned earlier.

For a crew who disliked the idea of a woman aboard, there were an awful lot of feminine items. Two plain dresses, a hairbrush, and a small waved mirror surrounded in elegant silver embellishment that distorted her reflection.

Despite the waver, Hope could see the dark brows that framed her worn brown eyes. Her skin looked so pale against the backdrop of wavy ebony hair. Had she ever set foot in the sun before?

Hope sighed gently, stood from the little bed in the corner and set the mirror delicately back into the cabinet where she found it. Afraid any swift action would damage it.

After she was cleaned up Hook made good on his promise of food. Soon she had a meal of primarily bread, some cheese, and a little meat. To others, it would be a meager portion, but to Hope at the moment it appeared a banquet.

Hook set a chalice filled to the brim with wine on the desk near her.

He left swiftly after.

Hope glanced over with a piece of tough bread already between her teeth. He really didn't skimp on the wine, and for that she was grateful.

By the time she had finished eating and felt somewhat satisfied, she had only had about half of the wine he brought. She knew if she drank much more she would begin to get tipsy, and perhaps that had been his plan all along.

It was hard to tell what his motives were. He seemed helpful and annoyed in the same instance. It made Hook a very difficult man to read. Which, as a result, made Hope curious and each action he performed fed that stupid curiosity.

She took some time to relax and attempt to remember something, but it was frightfully difficult trying to remember something that seemed to have never existed in the first place.

Hope took a long hour contemplating and trying to bring up even a glimmer of memory, but it was ultimately a failed attempt. Frustrated, she stood to her feet and raked her fingers through her hair. She desperately needed a distraction from her own thoughts.

So, she walked over to the cabin doors and peered through the little slits. Night had fallen and it seemed the crew, most of them at least, had gone below deck. She couldn't hear voices or footsteps. Just the lapping water and the breeze blowing against the massive sails.

Quietly, Hope nudged the split doors open and peered outside. Her assumption had been correct. She didn't see anyone out on the deck. Though, this did worry her. Not everyone could fall asleep on a sailing ship, could they?

Gaining bits of confidence, Hope inched out further and took a look at the ship. It was dark and difficult to see clearly, but the dimly lit lanterns here and there gave just enough light to let her create a presumably accurate image in her head.

She walked down the creaky steps and toward the bow of the boat, her eyes skimming the endless stretch of inky water. It was hauntingly beautiful. 

It guided her to the abstract thought of eternity. Hope wasn't sure if the goosebumps came from the notion in her mind or the fact that it was freezing out here. It was easily twenty degrees colder out on the deck than it was in the cabin.

When she made it to the front, she shivered and looked up. That was a mistake.

Hope staggered back, quickly disoriented by the sheet of black speckled with white dots. She nearly fell, but quickly saved her balance by looking down at her feet. With her eyes adjusting to the dark she focused on her toes for a moment, centering herself before slowly looking back up at the sky.

It was a beautiful thing. Like a canvas of glitter.

Hope was almost certain she had never seen anything so breathtaking. A sense of weightlessness lifted her spirits and she was almost certain at that moment she could fly. A soft smile graced her lips at the premise.

Though she wasn't quite finished taking in the sky, she looked behind her to see the ship from this new angle. There, at the wheel, stood Hook. She was certain he hadn't noticed she had come out of the cabin, because he was staring fixedly at the sky. Just as she had been.

Curiously, Hope ventured toward him.

"What are you doing?" she asked as she walked the second flight of stairs to where he was stationed.

Glancing over, he almost seemed startled, but gave a nod.

"Navigating." He answered plainly.

Hope nodded and searched where he stood for a moment, frowning as she looked up again. "But you don't have a map."

With a chuckle, he met her eyes again, "A map isn't needed when you already know where you're going."

"Oh," that made sense, she reasoned, "So why were you looking at the sky? I mean, I didn't see you as much of a stargazer type."

Hook raised a brow at her and smirked, she was slowly becoming accustomed to his apparently favorite expression.

"I was navigating by the stars..." he trailed off.

"So, like a map?"

With a soft huff of a sigh, though not irritated as he had seemed before, he nodded. "Yes," he smiled, a nice difference from his usual smirk, "Like a map."

Hope found curiosity gnawing at her as she moved closer to him.

"Well, how do you do it? Navigate by the stars, I mean."

"That's a difficult definition to give, but I suppose to be plain..." he glanced up at the sky again, "You simply direct yourself to Polaris, or the North Star as you might be more familiar with. In this case, we are traveling North-West to reach Maine. So, based on where Polaris is, you can work out the other directions and find where you are going. Simple once you find the star. Of course, traveling somewhere new, you must first learn to read a map."

"Like the ones on your desk?"

"Aye," he chuckled lightly, "A pirate who can't read a map is hardly a pirate at all."

There was a soft silence between them. It wasn't weighted and it didn't feel uncomfortable. It was just calm.

"We will arrive in Storybrooke at this pace in roughly eight, possibly nine days. We weren't exactly in a nearby location. The Jolly Roger might be fast, but she isn't that fast." He added, and she had to admit, she was grateful for the heads up.

Hope looked up at the stars as he spoke and nodded. "So will you teach me?" She asked.

He sent her a confused glance "Teach you what?"

"How to read a pirates map," she answered simply. Was that not something a person might be curious about?

Hook chuckled "Why ever for?"

Giving a shrug she smiled "What else am I supposed to do for nine days? Scare your crew? Because as tempting as that is, I think I'd like to use my time a little more constructively." She smiled, biting her lower lip. "And besides, maybe during that time I'll remember something of importance. I think thinking about it only makes it worse. I need the distraction" she nodded.

It took a long time for him to deliberate. She assumed he didn't have the time and he would turn the idea down, but eventually, he nodded.

"Very well, I'll teach you basic map reading."

Hope smiled, feeling a small bubble of excitement rise in her chest. The premise of learning something new, finding a proper distraction, gave her the small twinge of hope that she needed.

She then glanced down at his hand and remembered the hook. 

"Did a crocodile take your hand?" she asked.

That smirk surfaced again, but this time his jaw clenched. "Something like that..."

Hope took the action as a clear warning, even if he hadn't meant it as one. Perhaps she'd keep her questions to herself for now.

Nodding she smiled a little and changed the subject "Maybe I'll regret asking, but am I staying in your cabin?"

"Yes. Believe it or not, my intention is not to make your life miserable, but I meant what I said. The sooner you're off my ship, the better."

Hope tried to reason with herself that those words shouldn't hurt, but even words that should hold no meaning often could leave a lasting impact.

She nodded, "Goodnight, then...I uh, suppose I'll go to bed before your crew thinks I'm a ghost terrorizing the deck."

That earned a soft chuckle from him.

Hope descended the stairs again and soon entered the cabin, happy to feel the warmth on her feet again.

In no time at all she was snuggled into the quilt, watching the flicker of the lantern hanging on a hook on the wall in front of her. Perhaps tomorrow she would wake to a full memory in a familiar bedroom greeted with the smell of coffee and bacon, or perhaps she'd wake to the sound of the sea and greet the man with the hook that no longer seemed so threatening.

Perhaps she'd be content with either outcome.


End file.
